Lionel Messi is now a blonde

Athletes changing their image is a commonplace thing in the world of sports. Sometimes they just want to have a fresh start, as FC Barcelona superstar Lionel Messi has shown with his new BLEACH BLONDE HAIR.

Here is a photo posted to Instagram by his hair stylist.

Simply put, the jury's out on this one. Some people like it, some people hate it. But really, this is kind of like Messi pushing the "reset" button. To summarize he has:

Watched his rival Cristiano Ronaldo win the Champions League

Hurt his back

Lost his third consecutive (and fourth overall) major tournament final as the captain of the Argentinian National team — and then watched Cristiano Ronaldo win the European Championship for Portugal

Was convicted of tax fraud and sentenced to 21 months in jail (he won't serve the sentence because Spanish law allows sentences under two years to not be served in prison)